Sunday, November 23

Hey, Dad, I Finally Like Spaghetti Squash!

No, this is not a picture of a sea anemone. It's spaghetti squash. And though my mom doesn't like it, she makes it all the time for my dad since it's his favorite type of squash. Her favorite, by the way, is buttercup. I know this because the three of us have the same conversation every year as if it's a revelation:

Dad: "What did you buy at the farmers' market this week?"

Me: "Some butternut squash."

Mom: "Ooh, yeah? I love butternut squash. But you know what's even better? Buttercup. You should try it."

Me: "Yeah, Mom, I have tried it, but I don't like it as much as butternut."

Mom: "How could you not like buttercup squash?!"

Dad: "You know what the best squash is? Spaghetti squash. Your mother makes it with tomato sauce and cheese. Oh, I love it like that. You should try it."

Me: "Yeah, Dad, I have tried it, but I don't like it as much as butternut."

Dad: "How could you not like spaghetti squash?!" (Then, convinced that this is the year he will persuade me) "Well, you don't know what you're missing."

Well, Dad, you'll be happy to hear I finally agree with you. I didn't know what I was missing, until last week. My local supermarket had a sale on winter squash, so I ran right over to stock up on acorn and butternut, only to find a bin filled with a dozen spaghetti squash. Yeah, sure, I thought, that's cause no one wants it. Since I cannot pass up a bargain, I bought one anyway.

I had buyer's remorse the minute I got home. I didn't want it with tomato sauce. Let's face it, spaghetti squash is not the same as spaghetti no matter how hard you try. Then I thought of making an herb pesto but was all out of sage. And that's when it hit me. My favorite way to eat real spaghetti is with butter and salt.

Once the squash was cooked, I excitedly scooped out the cooked flesh, which is the best part of cooking spaghetti squash anyway. Then I added butter, salt and black pepper, and some grated Reggiano-Parmigiano.

It was good. OK, it was better than good. It was delicious. It tasted like, well, spaghetti. The firm luminescent gold strands of flesh become deliciously coated with melted butter just like pasta. For a richer more savory flavor, sprinkle some fresh thyme, rosemary, or parsley on the squash before serving. This is a simple, fresh, and comforting side dish that I'll be happy to make again.

My parents and I will likely have our annual squash talk this week. I have a feeling it's going to end a little differently this year though. So, what's your favorite squash?

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking pan with tinfoil (for easy clean up). Place squash halves flesh side down and pierce all over with a fork. Cook for 45-50 minutes, or until tender.

Using a fork scrape the hot flesh from the squash and place in a bowl. Add butter, 2 tablespoons cheese, and salt and pepper. Lightly toss until well combined. Garnish with remaining 2 tablespoons cheese and herbs, if using. Serve immediately.

You crack me up! On my end, I'm a huge butternut squash fan, and have only experiences spaghetti squash through photos. But, since you add butter and cheese .... this could well be a temptation to branch out.

i like all types of squash - i'm that much of a squash junkie! i love the spaghetti ones too. my mum made them in a soup and i remember calling it sharksfin squash as a kid just cause i thought the bits split apart like cooked sharksfin. of course, now i don't eat sharksfin - results of watching a shark documentary!! beautiful photos. x

Growing up the only squash my mom enjoyed was spaghetti squash so I thought that is all there was...I have known what I was missing for years now...and yes the best way to have any squash (at least in my opinion) is with a little butter, salt and pepper!!!!

I don't really like squash (gasp!), except for zucchini. Yellow is good sauteed in bacon grease, while the green makes the best bread. Well, and a combo of acorn and butternut squash makes a better-than-pumpkin pie (but that's just because I don't like pumpkins).

I love Delicata and Carnival squash. I almost caused a landslide at the market while rooting through the squash bin for a half dozen Delicata. Thankfully another woman grabbed onto the shifting pile and we both managed to prevent an embarrassing disaster. She then bought several Delicata upon my urging.

I've never tried a spaghetti squash- I may have to do it up how you describe with butter and fresh herbs. That does sound pretty good.

My favorite squash is kabocha, which is the most common type here in Japan. It's a variety of buttercup squash and sweeter than butternut. I love it cubed and steamed, served with butter and a sprinkling of brown sugar (not at all Japanese), though it is tasty plain too. Have not tried it with seasonings listed here, but have had it often included with vegetable tempura, and thus eaten with grated daikon (Japanese radish) and tentsuyu sauce.

I think I like all squash! My least favorite is acorn because it's the hardest to peel and cut. Lately I've been trying to using squashes like kuri or kabocha with thin skins that you can leave on and eat. So I'm not sure if spaghetti squash is my fave but I do know that I toast the seeds of every squash I make and spaghetti squash seeds are the best!

Love the look of the dish. I guess my problem has been to use spaghetti squash like butternut squash and not liking the stringy texture. I purchase butternut squash atleast once a week and like whichever form it is cooked.

The trick is to keep spaghetti in mind while cooking this squash!duh! you might say.

You are forgetting the next logical part of the conversation, which is:Susan: How can you two not like butternut squash?!Hee hee hee :)

I also had to snicker of the thought of people forcing spaghetti squash to be spaghetti just because of the resemblance (we don't get it here, as far as I know). Your way sounds much, much more delicious!

Brava to you Susan! I adore spaghetti squash just the way you've served it here. Certainly butternut is a favorite around my kitchen but recently I've discovered the red kabocha and a lovely French heirloom called Cinderella here in the states.

Your squash looks Ah-mazing! I'm afraid to tell you that I've never eaten ANY kind of squash.. However, that is about to change this week because on Saturday morning my husband and I were watching Barefoot Contessa and saw her create roasted butternut squash drizzled with maple syrup. Well, I've been married to this man for 23 years and could not have been more surprised when he said, "Yum, butternut squash." Hello? Who are you and why haven't you EVER mentioned your love of squash before? So yesterday I printed off Ina Garten's recipe and bought my very first Butternut squash to roast and drizzle with maple syrup on Thursday. I asked if this could take the place of the sweet potatoes and he's agreed! I'll let you know!

I discovered spaghetti squash when I was in college in the early 1970s, and it became the "in" vegetable for vegetarian main dishes. It was always served with tomato sauce and cheese, which I think did it a huge injustice.

I'm not much of a squash lover in general (including pumpkin) except for when prepared in certain recipes.

However, I do like spaghetti squash. No, it's not spaghetti, but I find the texture more palatable then other squashes and I do substitute it for regular spaghetti with tomato sauce as a light lunch sometimes as it has way fewer calories than real pasta.

I love spaghetti squash. While I'm a true butternut girl at heart for soups, salads and pureed, spaghetti squash is delicious with tomato sauce and cheese, or underneath a pile of veggies for a guilt-free and filling meal.

I think we are squash/pumpkin barbarians over here. We pretty much call everything pumpkin. And I don't think spaghetti squash is something you can buy. It is intruiging though...for a squash barbarian like myself ;)My favourite is the big orange pumpkin like you would use for carving for Halloween (don't know its name).

I love spaghetti squash topped with spaghetti sauce. My kids don't though. So when I serve them pasta I make squash for me. This way we're all happy! Here's the link to my recipe: http://food-fun.wisconsinfood.com/edible_antics/2008/07/chefs-challenge.html